CHENNAI: An online pharmacy illegally supplying psychotropic drugs buyers in Europe and Canada was busted in a raid by the Chennai Zonal Unit of the Narcotics Control Bureau on 29 September, 2011. The pharmacy had been in operation for six years before the crackdown. Two persons associated with this illegal activity have been arrested and jailed. One of them, a Russian living near Auroville, was identified as  Alexander Vyukhin alias Alex The other arrest was of Shanker alias Sekar. Both men are close to 50 years of age.

NCB Zonal Director S. Davidson Devasirvatham said that  the business was being orchestrated merchants suspected to be living abroad. A merchant named John had been e-mailing Vyukhin orders from customers in the US, Canada, and Europe. Vyukhin in turn had been passing on these orders to Shankar, who had a background in pharmacy. Shankar procured psychotropic drugs such as Alprax, Diazepam, Oxycodone and Hydrocodone from different parts of the country and dispatched them via  Express Mail Service (EMS) and Railway Mail Service (RMS). Cartons of  drugs and parcels for overseas delivery were seized from Shankar’s residence in Villipuram.

 

Source: The Hindu